A political analyst expects Governor Edwards to veto the regular session’s signature bill aimed at lowering auto insurance rates through lawsuit reform. Matt Doyle has more…
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Ronnie Jones is out as chairman of the state’s gaming control board. The retired state police deputy superintendent has held the job since 2013, but the Senate did not confirm his re-appointment. Since the decision was made during executive session, there’s no public record on why Jones was ousted.

Louisiana could be threatened by a named storm next week. Tropical Storm Cristobal formed this morning in the southern Gulf of Mexico. It’s not expected to move much over the next couple of days, but the National Hurricane Center says Cristobal will eventually head north and could be nearing the Louisiana coast on Sunday. State Climatologist Barry Keim says says a strong storm in June is possible…
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President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets” in the wake of lawlessness following nationwide police brutality protests. Senator Bill Cassidy backed the President’s statement. He says Americans have the right to protest peacefully, but not violently.
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Tropical Storm Cristobal forms near the southern Gulf. Kevin Barnhart has the story.

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The health department releases new covid-19 numbers for the state; hospitalization rates continue to decline. A decrease of 22 from the previous day with 639 now recorded. Vent usage also decreased down by 3 with 83 on record and fatalities increased by 34 for a total of 2,724. Case numbers increased by 405.

Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards is going to veto legislation aimed at lowering auto insurance rates through lawsuit reform. The legislation is a few votes shy of a supermajority needed to override a veto. Pinsonat says some of the lost support came from compromise changes made over the weekend.

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Pinsonat says tort reform supporter’s inability to pass the legislation with veto-proof majorities may have doomed their effort, despite a mandate from voters to lower auto insurance rates.

President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets.” The President has been criticized for using inflammatory language to describe the protests, but Senator Bill Cassidy says Trump’s focus right now is on restoring order.

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Tropical Storm Cristobal forms in the Bay of Campeche. The system started off as Tropical Storm Amanda in the Pacific, but as it crossed over Central America it weakened and ended up in the Bay of Campeche and has been renamed as an Atlantic storm. State Climatologist Barry Keim says the current forecast calls for the storm to move to about 200 miles south of Morgan City on Sunday morning and track northward.

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This is the earliest date for an Atlantic third named storm formation on record.

Political analyst Bernie Pinsonat believes Governor Edwards will veto legislation headed to his desk aimed at lowering auto insurance rates through lawsuit reform. Pinsonat says GOP lawmakers scrambled to pass the bill in the last minutes of the session, failing to make their case effectively to the public.

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President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets” in the wake of lawlessness following nationwide police brutality protests. Senator Bill Cassidy says the President’s statements were in response to protests that the Senator says have been infiltrated by anti-government elements.

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The health department releases new COVID-19 numbers; hospitalization rates continue to decline. A decrease of 22 from the previous day with 639 now recorded. Vent usage also decreased down by 3 and fatalities increased by 34.

Tropical Storm Cristobal in the Bay of Campeche today, but it will remain stationary for the next few days. State Climatologist Barry Keim says later this week the system is expected to head towards the central Gulf Coast…
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The National Hurricane Center forecasts a tropical storm bearing down on Louisiana’s coast early next week.

President Trump calls on governors to deploy the National Guard in sufficient numbers to “dominate the streets” in the wake of lawlessness following nationwide police brutality protests. Senator Bill Cassidy backed the President’s statement. He says Americans have the right to protest peacefully, but not violently.
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Legislation aimed at lowering auto insurance rates by enacting lawsuit reform is headed to the Governor’s desk. River Ridge Senator Kirk Talbot says his bill brings our legal climate in line with other states. He pointed to an exchange he had with Nationwide as evidence…
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The bill extends the prescriptive period for filing suits and lowers the jury trial threshold from 50,000 to 10,000 dollars.

LSU plans to test 10-to-16 percent of the population on their campuses as part of their plan to have students back in the classrooms for the fall semester. Interim president Thomas Galligan on what happens if someone tests positive…
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Anti-body testing will also be offered to employees.

Starting Friday restaurants can operate at 50 percent capacity and bars can open in a limited fashion as the state enters Phase Two. Assistant Health Secretary Doctor Alex Billioux notes normal bar settings are high risk for COVID transmission so they’ll only be allowed to open at 25 percent capacity with a six-foot separation between groups.
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Bars with LDH food permits will be allowed to operate as restaurants. The state will remain in Phase Two at least until June 26^th.
LSU outlines a roadmap to the return to physical class settings this fall.  The current plans would see the fall semester starting on schedule.  LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan says they are exploring the idea of holding physical classes on campus through Thanksgiving, then after the holiday, using online courses to finish the semester.
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The special session has begun and lawmakers are set to tangle over proposals aimed at rebooting the state’s economy. Chairman of the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force Jason Decuir says first up is codifying relief passed by executive order during the early days of the pandemic, and then things like…

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Legislators will also consider a temporary, and possibly permanent repeal of the franchise tax.

The regular session concluded last night with lawmakers approving a bill that makes changes to the state’s legal system in an effort to reduce auto insurance rates by at least 10-percent. Monroe Senator Katrina Jackson voted against it
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There’s a chance the governor will veto the legislation.

Louisiana will enter Phase Two on Friday and that means more businesses can open to 50-percent capacity…
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The National Hurricane Center says a Tropical Depression in the Bay of Campeche will develop into Tropical Storm Cristobal later today. Forecasters say the system will move northward across the Gulf of Mexico later this week, but it’s too soon to specify the location and timing of any potential impacts along the Gulf Coast.

In the final hour of the regular session, lawmakers approved legislation that seeks to lower auto insurance rates by making significant changes to the state’s legal system. Opponents of the measure say it will make difficult for those involved in a car accident from getting money and it does not require auto insurance companies to lower rates. Amite Representative Robby Carter…
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Governor Edwards could veto it.

Today is the first full day of the special session, as lawmakers still need to pass a budget. Republican legislators will also use this time to pass tax breaks to help businesses impacted by the COVID shutdown. Chairman of the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force Jason Decuir says despite our current budget woes the cost of inaction will create bigger problems…
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Louisiana will begin phase two of reopening of the economy on Friday that means restaurants, churches, funerals, barbers and casinos and many other businesses can operate at 50-percent capacity. Assistant health secretary Dr. Alex Billioux says several businesses can also re-open for the first time since March…
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Bars can also operate at 25-percent capacity beginning Friday, but New Orleans is holding off on moving to phase two.

LSU plans to test 10-to-16 percent of the population on their campuses as part of their plan to have students back in the classrooms for the fall semester. Interim president Thomas Galligan on what happens if someone tests positive…
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Anti-body testing will also be offered to employees. LSU also hopes to launch a mobile app that would include a symptom checker for users and a contact tracing function.

The regular session ended last night with lawmakers approving a bill that would set up a 300-million dollar small business grant program. The money would come from 811-million dollars in federal coronavirus relief aid that the governor intended to use to help local governments. Also passing, a tort reform bill that supporters say will lead to lower auto insurance rates, opponents are skeptical that will happen.

Now the special session is underway. Matt Doyle reports legislators will discuss proposals to help businesses cripppled by the COVid shutodown..
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Starting Friday restaurants can operate at 50-percent capacity and bars can open in a limited fashion as the state enters Phase Two. Assistant Health Secretary Doctor Alex Billioux says the 50 percent capacity in restaurants still requires groups to be seated six feet apart.
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He notes “high risk” individuals should continue to isolate themselves.

Legislation aimed at lowering auto insurance rates by enacting lawsuit reform is headed to the Governor’s desk. River Ridge Senator Kirk Talbot says his bill brings our legal climate in line with other states. He pointed to an exchange he had with Nationwide as evidence…
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The bill extends the prescriptive period for filing suits and lowers the jury trial threshold from 50,000 to 10,000 dollars. It faces a possible veto from the governor as there’s a concern the legislation will not lower rates.

The regular session ended last night and a 30-day special session is underway. The call for the special session contains 41 items and Chairman of the Louisiana Economic Recovery Task Force Jason Decuir says many of the proposals aim to help businesses closed due to COVID-19…
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LSU outlines a roadmap to the return to physical class settings this fall. Kevin Barnhart has the story.
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Louisiana will enter Phase Two on Friday and that means more businesses can open to 50-percent capacity…
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The regular session concluded last night with lawmakers approving a bill that makes changes to the state’s legal system in an effort to reduce auto insurance rates by at least 10-percent. Monroe Senator Katrina Jackson voted against it
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There’s a chance the governor will veto the legislation.

LSU outlines a roadmap to the return to physical class settings this fall. Cleaning, handwashing, and physical distancing will see a continued emphasis. LSU Interim President Thomas Galligan expects the CDC will also still recommend face coverings, so the university will contribute to that need.
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LSU also plans to test 10 to 16 percent of the population of the campuses statewide for the virus this fall, with voluntary participants selected at random.

LSU announces they’ll finally play Southern in football in 2022 and host Grambling State the following year. The Tigers have never played the historically black colleges on the gridiron.

The regular session is complete and the highlight legislation passes both chambers in the waning minutes Monday.

Tort reform aimed at lowering auto insurance rates will head to the governor’s desk without a veto-proof majority of support in the House, raising the possibility that the Governor could veto the legislation that he’s long criticized, saying the bill does not do anything to lower rates but does undermine victim’s ability to get a fair settlement.

Bill sponsor River Ridge Senator Kirk Talbot pushed back on that claim. Talbot says the bill brings our legal climate in line with other states. He pointed to an exchange he had with Nationwide as evidence of how badly the bill was needed…

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Amite Representative Robby Carter says the GOP lawmakers refused to compromise…

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A bill allocating 300 million dollars to create a grant program for state small businesses also passes. The bill was controversial for drawing the funds from money set aside to help local governments salvage their budgets in the face of COVID-related revenue loss.

Legislation allowing any patient with a debilitating condition to receive medical marijuana from any state-licensed doctor is headed to the governor’s desk. The bill’s author Stonewall Rep. Larry Bagley says the measure has the opportunity to combat the opioid crisis.

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A bill that sets up the regulations so Louisiana residents can participate in online fantasy sports contests for cash prizes is headed to the governor’s desk. Fairness for Fantasy Sports spokesperson Ryan Berni says they’re confident Governor Edwards will sign the legislation and hopefully lawmakers will approve the taxation in the June special session.

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